1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to surgical draperies for limbs and, more particularly, is concerned with a surgical drape with an elasticized cuff having a fenestration and a slit for receiving a limb of a patient.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of surgical draperies have been developed over the years for covering exposed portions of the body surrounding the area of an incision or wound to prevent contamination. Draperies have been specially designed for use with limbs and other parts of the body. Common elements in many of these draperies include a sheet with a fenestration and a slot for fitting the sheet around a limb. Towel clamps or clips used in surgical procedures or adhesive strips are commonly utilized to secure drapes to one another or, in the case of adhesives, to the skin of the patient.
Representative examples of surgical draperies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,497 to Krebs et al., PCT App. No. PCT/GB81/00086 to Coates et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,341 to Morris. The draperies in these patents attempt to overcome problems in the prior art. The Krebs patent addresses the difficulty in completely sealing the area of the incision. Before the Krebs patent, adhesive attachments were used which lacked adjustability for use with a variety of areas of the body and during operations thus making the drapery unable to ensure a complete seal in a variety of situations to prevent contamination. The Krebs patent provides a disposable drape made of a liquid repellant material with a variable U-shaped fenestration and a layer of adhesive surrounding the closed end and at least the sides of the fenestration.
The Coates patent provides a disposable surgical drape having a square web comprising fibers which prevent contamination. To the upper side of this web is secured a smaller square panel of thin, liquid impermeable material which is a plastic film or a plastic-coated nonwoven fabric. The drape is fenestrated with a slot extending to the side edge of the web. Coated on the marginal portions of the material surrounding the fenestration is an adhesive for securing the drape to the patient's body.
The Morris patent addresses the problem in the prior art of there not being an effective means for securing the drape in a proper position around the patient's limb. The use of towel clamps or clips had a tendency to cause perforations in the drape which would permit the penetration of outside liquids. The use of adhesive strips were inadequate to hold the drape in place because the adhesive would not securely bond to the fibrous surface of the drape. The Morris solution was to utilize a plastic film around the fenestration to provide a better surface for bonding of the adhesive to secure an opposing second drape to the first drape so as to isolate the limb of the patient through the fenestration.
A problem exists, however, in these draperies which utilize an adhesive substance. Moisture on the skin of a patient can reduce the strength of the bond between the adhesive and the skin and therefore prevent the formation of a liquid resistant seal. Strips of tape which have a layer of adhesive, for instance, are more vulnerable to delamination from skin in the presence of moisture and swelling which thereby may compromise the liquid barrier.
Further developments utilize elastic borders around the fenestrations. The elasticized fenestrations which are currently produced are circumferentially bounded by the material making up the drape itself and are cut to a predetermined size to fit particular limb shapes and sizes. A problem exists, however, in these drapes which utilize elastic openings in that flexibility in placing the fenestration so as to obtain the exposure needed around a particular limb is limited due to the elastic border completely surrounding the fenestration. Sterile technique may also be compromised because the drape must be slipped over the limb from the end first as there is no separation in the drape to permit wrapping around the limb instead.
Consequently, a need still exists for a surgical drape with overcomes the aforementioned problems in the prior art without introducing new problems in their place.